


A very good Satinalia

by storiesliveoninsideus



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Crushes, F/M, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Romance, Satinalia, Sexting, Smut, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-22
Updated: 2016-12-24
Packaged: 2018-09-11 03:22:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,891
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8951995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesliveoninsideus/pseuds/storiesliveoninsideus
Summary: Cullen has been harbouring a crush on Ell Lavellan for months. Will the holiday season be what finally brings them together?100% fluff100% cliche100% Cullen Satinalia cuteness and feelsAka I got distracted from what I was meant to be writing and wrote this instead





	1. Satinalia shopping

Cullen wasn't a huge fan of crowds, but he  _ did  _ love the holidays - so when Ell had mentioned she wanted to check out the annual Haven Satinalia markets, he'd generously and selflessly offered to go with her. He'd spent most of the afternoon standing happily behind her while she looked at stalls (with a great view of her ass), walking with her arm linked in his, and once or twice even having her snuggle up against him when the chilly wind picked up. So perhaps choosing to come wasn't entirely selfless. Cullen didn't really care, to be honest. They were on their last legs, Ell making up her mind about whether she wanted to take another look at the blown glass ornaments stall (they're just so pretty!) or head over to the food trucks to see what was on offer. Cullen was staring dazedly out at the crowd, wondering what kind of gift he could give Ell that said, “you're my best friend but I'm also madly in love with you”. Or, as that character from that movie she loved said, whether it would be easier just to casually mention that he wanted to have lots of sex and babies with her.

“Oh no… quick, Cullen, kiss me!”

Cullen looked down at her sharply, confusion writ large upon his features. Had she just been reading his mind? Why would she ask him to… not that he didn't want to, of course he did, he always had, but…

“I'll explain later! Just kiss me now!”

Cullen might have needed to be told twice, but definitely not a third time. He snaked one arm around her waist, pulling her body flush to his. The other hand cradled her face as he pressed his lips to hers.  _ Maker,  _ she felt incredible. His nose was full of her sweet scent and her lips were soft - but it wasn't one sided, she was pressing back against him as well. Boldly he let his tongue dart out to swipe against her lower lip; she let out a surprised gasp that opened her mouth to him and he took his chance. He stepped one foot forward, his body angling so that she leaned back and had to lift her arms up around his neck to keep her balance. He deepened the kiss, and felt a jolt of excitement as her tongue met his, dancing lightly but purposefully against each other. Andraste’s breath, she was something else. How long had he wanted to do this, and here she had just asked him out of the blue…

“Lavellan? Is that you?”

Cullen resolutely ignored the male voice in his ear - he wasn't about to end this. Ell, however, had other ideas. She moved to pull away, giggling against his lips as they still pursued hers. Oh, he'd remember that sound. Imagine the other things he could do to make her giggle like that, pressed up against him so he could feel every little vibration that it produced through her body. “Cullen!” She chided, coyly pushing at his chest as she turned to face whoever was interrupting them. “Oh, hey Jim!”

He could guess what game she was playing, and was all too willing to get his share of enjoyment out of it. He kept his arms wrapped around her and trailed his lips along the shell of her pointed ear. If she wanted a fake boyfriend as cover, he'd be a  _ fucking fantastic  _ fake boyfriend.

“Sorry to ah - interrupt - but I saw you from over there and thought, wow, it's been ages! How are you doing,  _ babe _ ?”

The ‘babe’ came out just as he thought it would, snarky and territorial, and Cullen had to get a look at this idiot. The guy was maybe half a head taller than Ell - so still quite a bit shorter than Cullen - with wavy, shoulder length brown hair and a grey beanie on top. He had a ratty plaid lumberjack-style coat on with a white tshirt underneath, was wearing dirty boots and looked like he'd have grown a scraggly beard too if he had enough testosterone to grow facial hair at all. 

“Oh, I'm good! Just helping my - ah -  _ Cullen  _ here with his Satinalia shopping. Yourself?”

Cullen smirked and nodded to  _ Jim  _ over Ell’s shoulder, splaying his hands out across her taut stomach possessively. 

“My new band is playing in the main square later tonight. You should come by. It'd be great to catch up.”

“Yeah! I'll have to see how we go, I think Cullen had plans…”

“Yeah, sorry buddy, we've got dinner reservations,” Cullen lied, pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head.

“Oh, that's too bad. We should make plans for some other time then,” Jim replied. 

“Definitely! I'll text you, we'll sort something out,” Ell replied vaguely. Cullen was internally gleeful at the disappointment on the other guys face, watching him bemusedly as he walked off, casting a parting glance at Ell over his shoulder. 

“You know, if you wanted to make out with me you can just tell me how panty-dropping sexy you find me,” Cullen whispered teasingly in her ear. Ell snorted a laugh and shoved his hands away.

“You're an idiot, Cullen Rutherford. Gods, you certainly wanted to put on a show! All handsy and you even managed to get your tongue in… do you PDA like this with your real life girlfriends?” 

“Hey, if I had a girl as hot as you I'd want to show her off,” Cullen shrugged, smirking. 

“Ha ha ha,” Ell replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes. 

“So are you going to tell me all about  _ Jim?”  _

“Ugh. He was in a band with this guitarist I was seeing a few years ago. Then the guy cheated on me, so I rebounded with Jim the drummer, naturally. Caused a big rift, the band split up, and a few weeks later I realised I didn't actually like him all that much Told him I wasn't ready for anything serious, but he was pretty far gone already. I think I broke his heart.” 

“So you wanted to make sure he didn't get his hopes up when he saw you again?” Cullen teased, and Ell narrowed her eyes at him.

“Something like that. Otherwise I'd end up on a pity date with him. Hope that's okay? You don't feel too taken advantage of?”

“Not at all! I'm available to be your fake boyfriend whenever you need me,” Cullen responded with a cheeky grin. Was it just his imagination, or did  _ something  _ flicker behind her eyes when he said that? 

“Good to know. Come on lover boy, let's get going. I'm starving,” 

\---

Ell couldn't help it - she was distracted for pretty much the rest of the night. Her mind kept going back to the way Cullen had kissed her, the strength of his body pressed against hers, the delicious taste and smell of him invading her senses. Gods, she'd always imagined he'd be a good kisser, but it was so much more than  _ good.  _ He'd practically left her breathless and weak at the knees. And when she'd been trying to talk with Jim, the feeling of his hands on her and his lips against her ear had given her a giddy, warm feeling at the pit of her stomach.

Despite her growing feelings for Cullen, she kept coming back to the fact that he was her best friend these days. She didn't want to ruin what they had - and she had a tendency to ruin things. He’d been hurt too many times before. But there had been more than just friendship or even attraction in that kiss, she had felt it. So maybe by trying to protect him, she was  _ actually  _ causing him more pain.

It was all very confusing.

“You okay, Ell?” Cullen asked as he pulled his car up outside her building. Ell started - she hadn't been paying attention to where they were.

“Yeah… yeah, I'm fine. Food coma, that's all.”

Cullen chuckled, turning off the ignition. “You did eat a lot of those little Satinalia puddings. Sure you're not thinking about  _ Jim _ ?”

Ell’s eyes flicked up at Cullen, unfortunately fixating on his gorgeous mouth and that insanely sexy lip scar.

“How did you get that scar on your lip?” she blurted, following it up with an awkward choking noise when she realised she'd actually said what she was thinking. “Sorry, that was a stupid question. Must be too much booze in the pudding.”

Cullen frowned slightly, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand. “Got punched in the mouth by a guy wearing knuckle dusters in the middle of a raid. Split it open, and it was a long night, so it tore more before I got to a medic. It was actually around this time of year.”

“Oh. Not a very nice Satinalia present.”

“Yeah. Well, Templar Satinalia feasts were never particularly tasty anyway.”

“Oh.”

They sat awkwardly in silence for a moment, Ell toying with the end of her scarf. Then Cullen sighed and opened his door. 

“Come on, I'll walk you inside. Don't want you drunkenly stumbling around.”

When they got into the building, Ell noticed that someone had put up tacky Satinalia decorations, fake snowflakes and holly wreaths strewn everywhere. Cullen trailed behind her, his usual steady and silent self. They'd spent the whole day together, but still she didn't want him to go home. 

“Want to come in and watch a movie or something?” She asked, feigning casualness as the elevator door slid open on her floor. 

“Love to,” Cullen replied with a grin, and there was that warm fuzzy feeling again. Ell felt a blush rising on her cheeks. She tried to hide it while she fumbled for her keys in her handbag. Once at her door, she looked up to see something surprising.

“Oh. Mistletoe.”

Whoever had put up the decorations had a strange sense of humour - there were little bundles hanging from every doorway.

“Ell,” Cullen said her name affectionately, and she turned back to find him standing very close. Her eyes were level with his stubbled throat, and she swallowed slightly at the thought of brushing her lips against it. He lifted one hand to her chin, gently angling her face upwards. Her lips were slightly parted, and she was drowning in the way his golden eyes were looking at her. Then he slowly leaned forward and kissed her. 

It was magic. Like two people melting together into one perfect moment. He started slow, gentle and measured until Ell brought her hands up to rake through his hair and moaned against his lips. Then he pushed forward, pinning her to the door with his hips. Invading her mouth with his tongue. Fingers caressing her cheeks and running over her hips. 

Her phone started ringing in her back pocket. That's when he pulled back, and this time it was her lips chasing his, her silently begging for more.

“You going to get that?” He asked with a smirk. Ell shook her head vehemently, lunging forward to find his mouth once more. Cullen slid one hand underneath her sweater this time, making her shiver with the sensation of his rough hands against her skin. She wanted to feel him  _ everywhere.  _

They only stopped when the elevator pinged at the end of the hall, and her neighbours started heading their direction. No longer kissing, they were still standing very close together and Ell heard a muffled giggle as the intruders walked past.

“Wow,” she whispered finally, twining her fingers through his golden curls. 

“Wow yourself,” he whispered back.

“Smooth comeback, Rutherford. Be honest. How long had you wanted to do that?”

Cullen smirked down at her, pressing his lips to the corner of her mouth. “Longer than I should admit, Lavellan.”

“Oh. Do you - still want to come inside?” 

“Definitely.”  
  
It was going to be a very happy Satinalia. 


	2. Spending Satinalia apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Despite their new relationship, Cullen heads to South Reach to spend Satinalia with his siblings while Ell stays back in Haven.

Cullen woke up early on Satinalia morning, pulled from his bed by his nieces and nephew eager to open their presents. He had time to shoot off a quick message to Ell, so she'd hopefully wake up with something to smile about. He'd reluctantly headed alone to his sister Mia's house in South Reach for the holiday, not wanting to put the pressure of family on this new relationship. And, he reasoned, they'd get to spend New Years together. It didn't stop him from missing her like crazy though.

  
After presents, coffee, breakfast and a few hours playing with the kids in the snow, Mia called the troops inside to clean up before lunch. Cullen checked his phone when he got back up to his room, glad to see a response from Ell. A picture message, even.

  
Cullen pulled off his shirt before unlocking his phone and opening the message - at which point his mouth ran dry and he felt all the blood in his body rush down to his cock.

  
Ell had sent him a shot of herself standing side on in front of her bedroom mirror, naked except for a tiny thong with a big, red bow over her pussy. Her breasts were trapped under the arm not holding her phone, pushed up tantalisingly. Cullen zoomed in on the picture, admiring how the angle she had chosen simultaneously showed off the luscious curve of her ass, her muscular thighs and the way her hip bones jutted out just slightly before dipping into the exquisite V of muscles above her panty line. Her hair was messy, like this was the first thing she did after waking up, which made Cullen feel absurdly happy.

  
Under the picture the text read, ‘ _Your Satinalia present is waiting to be unwrapped when you get home tomorrow, baby_ xx’

  
Maker. They'd been taking things slow these last few weeks - if hours of making out and heavy petting counted as taking it slow - and Cullen was happy to wait. As far as he was concerned, this was the girl he was going to marry one day. He could hold out for a few weeks with the prospect of a lifetime of sex with this goddess. This little taste, however, was enough to sorely test his restraint.

  
‘ _Hold on, I'm coming home right now._ ’ Cullen texted back, and was happy to see three little dots appear on his screen not long after.

  
_Xx patience is a virtue Cullen. Have a lovely day with your family!_

  
Cullen took off his snow-drenched trousers, and snapped a picture to show the outline of his erection straining against his briefs.

  
_How am I meant to explain this to my family, hm?_

  
Then Cullen heard Mia calling up the stairs for them all to hurry up, and abandoned his phone again to finish getting changed.

  
Stuffed with delicious food, Cullen's family retreated to the den where the kids picked some lame movie to watch and then promptly fell asleep. He and his siblings chatted quietly over theirs heads, catching up on the various highlights of their respective lives. As he expected, Rosalie was the first to bring up Ell.

  
“So, didn't want to bring the new girlfriend to Satinalia, Cullen? Afraid we'd scare her off?”

  
“Something like that,” he teased back.

  
“Girlfriend? Cullen's got a girlfriend?” Branson perked up over his fiancée Leah’s shoulder, and she raised her eyebrows curiously as well.

  
“It's just new. Her name’s Ell,” he replied.

  
“Is she the little dark haired one you're always tagged in pictures with?” Mia asked excitedly.

  
“Ooh, ooh, let me find one of her!” Rosalie offered, pulling out her phone.

  
“How did you meet?”  
“Is it serious?”  
“You should have invited her!”  
“Look, that's her, isn't she pretty!”  
“Wow, Cull, batting above your average!”  
“What is that meant to mean, Cullen's a good looking guy. Your family has good genes.”  
“Yeah, but he's so grumpy and old.”  
“Watch who you're calling old!”  
“When do we get to meet her?”

  
Cullen waited for the flurry of questions to ease with an exasperated look on his face.

  
“Okay. My friend Varric introduced us. We've been friends since she moved to Haven a year ago and I've liked her for almost as long, but we only started ‘seeing each other’ a few weeks ago. I like her a lot. She's incredible and I miss her whenever I'm not with her. You think she looks good in pictures, you should see her in person. I didn't bring her because - well - she doesn't really have a big family and this can get a bit overwhelming. Satisfied?”

  
“Ashamed of us, are you?”  
“We aren't that bad!”  
“Bugger off back to Haven if you miss her so much.”

  
“Come on, guys, you'll have plenty of time to meet her. Yes, I'll be glad to see her again tomorrow night but we live in the same city. I don't see you all as often as I would like so I'm happy to be here right now.”

  
“Oh, Cullen!” Mia gushed, like he had just started crying and telling them how much he loved them.

  
“We're happy for you, bro. I hope it works out,” Branson added.

  
“Yeah, and you can bring her to Bran’s wedding!” Rosalie suggested.

  
“Sure. My gift to the happy couple.”

  
“Pfft, I expect a more expensive gift than that!”

  
“What's a better present than our presence, hm?”

  
\---

  
To Cullen's delight, he had four messages waiting for him later that night as he got into bed.

  
_I'm sure they're familiar with hard ons, sweetheart. Yours is spectacular._

  
_Someone named Rosie Rutherford just liked one of my pictures of us. A relative of yours? I added her as a friend._

  
_Rosie's going to come up to Haven in the New Year. I'm taking her out for lunch. You can come if you want. She told me you had a one-eyed teddy bear you slept with every night until you were 14._

  
The last one was another picture message, of her at dinner with their friends. She was wearing a grey sweater dress, cut into a v at the neck that showed off her cleavage, and her red painted lips were puffed up in a pout.

  
Cullen sent through another text.

  
_Okay, so I'll have to strangle Rosalie in the morning. You look incredible. Love the red lips_

  
A few minutes later and another picture came through - a close up of her mouth, little white teeth biting into her bottom lip seductively.

  
_Just imagine them wrapped around your cock, baby._

  
Cullen groaned and fell back against his pillow. Then he was surprised to hear a knock at his door.

  
“Cullen, you passed out yet?” Branson whispered.

  
“No, it's cool, come in.”

  
“Oh. You texting your girl?”

  
“Yeah. Turns out Rosalie’s been sending her messages all evening, trying to make me look like a complete loser. Jokes on her. Ell has a soft spot for my dorky side.”

  
“Well she'd need to, you are like 85% loser. You were a Boy Scout way beyond the age where it is socially acceptable.”

  
“That's rich coming from you, middle school theatre kid.”

  
“The theatre girls were hot and the most likely to make out with me, brother. But, oddly enough, I didn't come in here to reminisce about that. I was wondering what time you were planning to head back out to Haven tomorrow? Just saw the ski report - meant to be some good powder up on the slopes.”

  
“Oh, yeah? Thinking of going boarding then?”

  
“Thinking about it. If you wanted to come with? Leah said she'd rather stay back with Mia and Rosie but Peter’s keen. Could be a good day. But I get it if you want to go home to your lady.”

  
Cullen mulled it over. Truth be told, he missed spending time with his brother - they'd always gotten along best when they were doing something active or practical. And he didn't know his sister's husband half as well as he should.

  
But if he went, he wouldn't want to cut the day short with the sort of timeframe he'd need to leave and get back to Haven by night. He'd be better off staying here at Mia's one more day - which would mean he'd have to wait longer before he saw Ell again.

  
“Snowboarding sounds great, man. I'm in.”

  
He was rewarded with a very genuine grin from his little brother. Branson excused himself from the room, promising to wake Cullen at a decent hour. Cullen pulled up Ell’s number on his phone, grinning again at her last message before he clicked to call her.

  
It rang twice before she picked up; Cullen could hear the noise of chatter and loud Satinalia music.

  
“Everyone say hello to Cullen!” Ell called out, her voice joyful and giggly. It made him smile - he could picture her, a little drunk, cheeks flushed. He heard a cacophony of shouts, cheers and even someone singing to him, followed by the shuffling and rustling noises of Ell excusing herself from the table and heading out onto Varric’s balcony.

  
“Shit, it's cold. Hey, baby, what's going on?”

  
“I'm just about to go to bed. Wild times here at the Rutherford household.”

  
Ell laughed. “I'm about ready to pass out on Varric’s couch too, but we haven't had dessert yet. Has it been good, spending time with your family?”

  
“Yeah, it's been great. Actually that's why I called - not that hearing your sweet voice isn't reason enough. Branson asked if I wanted to go snowboarding tomorrow - but it'd mean I probably won't make it home tomorrow night.”

  
“You should go,” Ell replied, without hesitation. “He's your brother, you barely ever get to see him. You'll have fun.”

  
“Why do you have to be so reasonable? If you'd gotten mad I could have told him no and blamed you.”

  
Ell laughed. “If you didn't want to go you'd have told him that already.”

  
“I'll add wisdom to your ever-growing list of fantastic qualities.”

  
“My ass had better be on that list.”

  
“Oh sweetheart, it's number one.”

  
They enjoyed another moment of shared laughter before silence fell again. Cullen was happy just listening to the sound of her breath.

  
“So if I'm not home tomorrow, can I see you the day after?” He asked, hopeful.

  
“I'll be working, baby. Afternoon shift, three to eleven. Maybe the day after?”

  
“That's when I go back to work too.”

  
“Oh.”

  
“Yeah. Look, don't worry about it - I'll find a way to make some time for us. Call in sick or something.”

  
“Like Cullen Rutherford would ever chuck a sickie.”

  
“What kind of slang is that supposed to be?”

  
“All the kids say it, old man.”

  
“That's the second time I've been called old today. The universe must be trying to tell me something.”

  
“Don't worry about it, baby. I've seen pictures of you growing up. You were cute, but awkward and with such noodly hair. You're like a cheese or good wine - getting better with age.”

  
“I'll take that both as a compliment and as a sign that you're hungry.”

  
“Mmm, I've eaten so much today already. But there's still room for dessert because Dorian made cheesecake and dessert doesn't go to your stomach, it goes to your heart.”

  
Cullen laughed again. “I'll let you go back inside then, before you freeze or miss out on the next course. Happy Satinalia, gorgeous.”

  
“Happy Satinalia, Cullen.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Writing about snow is fun because I live in Melbourne, Australia. Christmas Day today is 37 degrees celcius aka stinking hot. Merry Christmas everyone!


End file.
